Bonnie Sharlene Nicol

Bonnie Ganatos Nicol, 86, passed away at her home in Thompson Falls on September 5, 2025. Born on May 7, 1939, in Sacramento, California, to Lester and Violet Yager, she grew up in the Redding area alongside her older sister Shirley. She graduated from Shasta Union High School in 1957 and attended Chico State College, where she married her high school sweetheart, Gerasimo “Jerry” Ganatos, in the spring of 1959.

The couple welcomed their son Nick in November 1960 and daughter Shari in September 1962 while living in Northern California and the Portland area before settling in Concord, California. After a decade in the Bay Area, the family moved to Thompson Falls in 1972 following a memorable summer visit. Bonnie raised her children there, primarily as a single mother after her divorce from Jerry in 1973. She worked at several local businesses, eventually purchasing three lots in town where she built a new modular home. In 1981 she married Jim Nicol and briefly lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she worked for Japan Airlines and later Alaska Airlines. She continued her career with Alaska Airlines at Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport for 22 years, forming many lasting friendships in the Puget Sound area.

Upon retiring in 2005, Bonnie returned to Thompson Falls, the place she always considered home. She worked at Empire Builders and Ace Hardware, where she built new friendships and enjoyed connecting with people. An avid gardener who loved crocheting, knitting, and animals, she also cherished time in the mountains with her son and sister, often joining hunting trips more for the companionship, snacks, and conversation than for the hunt itself. She took pride in dressing out the game and considered herself and her sister true mountain women, always with hair and makeup done just right. Bonnie had learned to work on cars from her father as a girl and had enjoyed barrel racing in her youth. As a mother, she served as Nick’s Cub Scout leader and Shari’s Brownie troop leader, remaining a steady and supportive presence for her children throughout their lives.

Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Violet Yager; stepfather Lesley Prusia; and sister Shirley Boswell.

She is survived by her son Nick (Laura) Ganatos of Trout Creek; daughter Shari McKenzie of Thompson Falls; grandsons Ryan (Casey) Tuttle and great-grandchildren Tytus, Ramsey, Nya, and Neo of Helena; Sean (Devon) Ganatos and great-grandchildren Kamela, McKenna, and Jaxson of Twin Falls, Idaho; and Scott (Priscilla) Ganatos and great-grandchildren Ella and Talia of Visalia, California. Her greatest loves were her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her beloved dogs.